One of the biggest twists in Andor Season 2 came at the end of Episode 9, "Welcome to the Rebellion," when Bix Caleen made a choice that has huge implications for Cassian Andor and the Rebellion.
After surviving the Ghorman Massacre and escorting Mon Mothma to safety, Cassian returned to Yavin 4 intending to quit the Rebellion. He said he was done and told Bix he couldn't do it anymore. He wanted to live peacefully in a quiet place with her, believing he had given enough to the Rebellion.
It was obvious from Bix's reaction that she wasn't onboard with Cassian's decision. Bix has always seemed prepared to sacrifice their relationship for the Rebellion. She appeared ready to sacrifice everything herself, even though she hadn't joined the Alliance as a Rebel fighter. In the middle of the night, as Cassian slept, Bix recorded a final message and left him. It was emotional and heartbreaking, but equally puzzling to see Cassian's biggest decision taken for him, instead of by him.
I don't want to take anything away from Bix's sacrifice, but I don't understand why this was written as a one-sided decision, instead of a mutual one. I wish the Rebellion meant as much to Cassian as it did to Bix, Vel, Cinta, Kleya, and others. Were the years of the Empire's brutality that Cassian experienced firsthand not enough for him to choose the Rebellion? Wasn't losing Maarva and Brasso enough to make his blood boil?
With just a year left before what happens on Scarf, I found it hard to digest that Cassian had one foot out of the Rebellion this entire time. In a show full of characters willing to do anything to defeat the Empire, Cassian came off as its most reluctant Rebel. He was the guy who was never in it, and would have likely left 'The Cause' if Bix hadn't left him. It's Tony Gilroy's choice to write Cassian this way, but it may have worked more if there were still at least 2-3 years left until Rogue One.
Instead, we're a year out from the movie, and Cassian is a guy whose heart isn't in it. I found that to be a disservice to his character, and a puzzling choice overall. Gilroy could've made Bix a member of the Rebel Alliance. He could have shown that she was alive during Rogue One, and Bix and Cassian were committed to each other till the end. I would call this a breakup, not a break. Cassian will probably go through abandonment issues after this, similar to his Rogue One partner, Jyn Erso.
Jyn was abandoned by Saw Gerrera, abandoned by Galen Erso, and ultimately, the only one who came back for her was Cassian. Maybe that's why Gilroy wanted to show that Bix left him against his wishes. Perhaps, Cassian never wanted Jyn to be left behind the way he was. The next 3 episodes will shed light on how he'll find the strength to continue fighting.
Perhaps Bix's early departure is to make Cassian and Jyn's relationship seem less awkward. For 9 years, many fans have read their relationship as something above friendship. There were romantic undertones that Felicity Jones acknowledged. It wasn't love, but it could've been had they lived. That's the only explanation I have for this twist, otherwise, it seems like an injustice to Cassian.
Andor Season 2 is streaming on Disney+.